Malaysian Borneo

General Info

Borneo, located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, is the third largest island in the world. The other name for this island is "Kalimantan". Administratively, the island is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Malaysia's portion of Borneo is called East Malaysia or Malaysian Borneo.

Malaysia's Main Diving Destination

Not just Malaysia's, but also the world's most notable scuba diving destination is Pulau (island) Sipadan that together with Pulau Kapalai and Pulau Mabul lies in the Sulu Sulawesi Sea. This small archipelago of preserved islands is legendary in the worldwide dive community, and is ranked in the five top scuba diving destinations in the world, according to the Scuba Diving Magazine's Gold List for 'The Top Dive Destination in the World'.

The Sipadan diving legend has passed through the world's dive community to the extent that all divers with an interest in visiting the best sites in the world, have this small island near the top of their wish list, says NationMaster Encyclopedia.

Marine Life To Observe

The marine life here is amazingly diverse and includes over 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species, Sipadan itself being formed by living corals growing on the top of the extinct undersea volcano. This is especially great place for shark diving and reef diving. Among marine biologists who visited and dived the local waters was Jacques Cousteau.

Dive Courses

For persons with just some snorkeling experience and inexperienced divers without certification, the PADI affiliated dive courses are available at any of the numerous dive resorts.

Tour, Dive Centers and Resorts Operators

To list a few, the biggest are Borneo Sea Adventure Pte Ltd, Borneo Divers & Sea Sports (Sabah) Pte Ltd, The Reef Dive Resort & Tours Pte Ltd, Discover Borneo Travel Agency and some others.